Keediyan-Gandiyal bridge in Kathua to become operational in October: Dr Jitendra

Excelsior Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Aug 13: The landmark Keediyan-Gandiyal bridge on river Ravi in district Kathua will become operational in the month of October this year. Built at a cost of nearly Rs.160 crore, the over 1,200 span two-lane bridge will be the first-of-its-kind, linking secluded areas of district Kathua across river Ravi with the other side.
Disclosing this after a briefing by Union Secretary,Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Yudhveer Singh Malik, Union Minister  Dr Jitendra Singh said, he has requested the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari to give a convenient date for performing the formal ceremony of dedicating this historic bridge to the public. He said, the proposal for the bridge had been approved with the personal intervention of Nitin Gadkari, who had also performed the “Bhoomi Poojan” to mark the auspicious beginning of the construction work on 26th of June 2015.
Pertinent to mention that, with the bridge becoming functional, the travel distance between the two inter-State destinations of J&K and Punjab will get shortened by over 45 kms. and at the same time, it will also help in easing out the heavy rush of traffic on the Jammu-Kathua-Pathankot National Highway.
The public demand for the bridge had been pending for the last 60 years and during the Lok Sabha election campaign in 2014, it was one of the important poll promises made by Dr Jitendra Singh that if elected, he would ensure and get the bridge constructed at the earliest.
The foundation stone laying ceremony of the bridge on 25th of June 2015 was marked by very emotional moments, as elderly citizens broke down to tears on seeing their lifetime dream getting fulfilled. Nitin Gadkari, while addressing the gathering, had said that the entire credit for getting this bridge went to Dr Jitendra Singh who had passionately followed him up day and night with the single-minded proposal for the bridge.
At the briefing today, the Union Road Transport Secretary also discussed the construction of “National Highway Amenities” to be brought up at important places. Dr Jitendra Singh informed him that the land for the purpose had already been identified at two crucial locations, one at the entry point to the State at Lakhanpur and the other at Nagri, and said that he would advise Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Rohit Khajuria to follow up the issue with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
Among the other projects discussed was the new National Highway from Lakhanpur-Basohli-Banni to Doda-Bhaderwah, enroute which the historic Chhattergalla tunnel project will be collaborated by the Border Roads Organization (BRO).

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